Trucking on Earth v/s Trucking in Space
Driven by the demands of a global economy, trucking has reinvented itself in the logistics sector and has become an integral part of it. The sheen of the spanking expressways has doubled the efficiency of road transport. Modern trucks are capable of hauling extra loads to boost profits.
Integrated trucking solutions from logistics and specialised transport majors like Gati, TVS Logistics, XPS Global, Safexpress, Om Logistics, etc. have lent trucking a higher profile. By reducing human intervention, technologies have made trucking friendlier.
However, when it comes to accelerating the speed of logistics, road trucking seems to be still at an insulating stage. To meet the screaming need for faster and more efficient transportation, trucking needs to tap and bring to play more avenues in its sector.
The world is making more products right now than at any time in history. Cargo containerships are doubling and even tripling in size to handle the output as demand for next-day air delivery continues to climb and traditional modes are hard-pressed to keep up to it.
Imagine using a space-launch vehicle to heft a payload halfway around the world in less than an hour rather than the same payload stuck in traffic for hours on road as it inches away from the port toward its final destination.
This pioneering new frontier can give a new direction in moving loads of cargo — incredibly fast — and reap unimaginable profits. Some commercial space companies are toying with the idea, and a 1994 aerospace industry report even quantified the critical mass for such a service. A price tag of $ 2,000 per kilogram would generate 100,000 to 300,000 kilograms of business, while a $ 200-per-kilogram price tag would generate between 2 million to 20 million kilograms of business. This kind of business would be steadier and cost-effective.
Although, transportation doesn’t have the same glamorous ring as "spaceflight" but these two endeavours are essentially about the same enterprise: moving product and people. The main difference is that practitioners of conventional transportation have more experience in this field. They work hard to lower operational costs while promoting good customer service. Not to mention deal with all those regulatory and union matters. No matter how much space supporters may admire their groundbreaking, liberal concept, the truth is if spaceports are going to become a successful business, then it must grapple with the mundane demands of earthly living and learn something from their earthbound counterparts.
Though, the idea of transporting cargo through space isn’t that farfetched. On one hand the commercial space endeavours — payloads, space tourism or industrialisation — will have satellites as the menu staple and may move further to explore other markets too. Whereas, on the other hand, even the fastest, most economical technology will find itself stuck on the ground if it doesn’t consider the total commercial picture and will hold no goods in lobbing cargo at supersonic speed if it’s just going to wind up sitting on a freight dock, waiting for a truck to pick it up. Regardless of whether the payload is a feather or a pair of tennis shoes, it has to move through the existing transportation infrastructure on its way to and from the spaceport. It’s a scenario that demonstrates both promise and pitfalls.
The challenges facing space development and commercialisation may not be different from those facing other transportation modes.
So, while the space community is busy looking for ways to lower payload costs and promote their novel plan, its members may want to take some time to consider what will happen once these goals are achieved. Establishing low-cost, reliable access to space is only half of the challenge. The other is ensuring that it fits with the reality of modern life.
Driven by the demands of a global economy, trucking has reinvented itself in the logistics sector and has become an integral part of it. The sheen of the spanking expressways has doubled the efficiency of road transport. Modern trucks are capable of hauling extra loads to boost profits.
Integrated trucking solutions from logistics and specialised transport majors like Gati, TVS Logistics, XPS Global, Safexpress, Om Logistics, etc. have lent trucking a higher profile. By reducing human intervention, technologies have made trucking friendlier.
However, when it comes to accelerating the speed of logistics, road trucking seems to be still at an insulating stage. To meet the screaming need for faster and more efficient transportation, trucking needs to tap and bring to play more avenues in its sector.
The world is making more products right now than at any time in history. Cargo containerships are doubling and even tripling in size to handle the output as demand for next-day air delivery continues to climb and traditional modes are hard-pressed to keep up to it.
Imagine using a space-launch vehicle to heft a payload halfway around the world in less than an hour rather than the same payload stuck in traffic for hours on road as it inches away from the port toward its final destination.
This pioneering new frontier can give a new direction in moving loads of cargo — incredibly fast — and reap unimaginable profits. Some commercial space companies are toying with the idea, and a 1994 aerospace industry report even quantified the critical mass for such a service. A price tag of $ 2,000 per kilogram would generate 100,000 to 300,000 kilograms of business, while a $ 200-per-kilogram price tag would generate between 2 million to 20 million kilograms of business. This kind of business would be steadier and cost-effective.
Although, transportation doesn’t have the same glamorous ring as "spaceflight" but these two endeavours are essentially about the same enterprise: moving product and people. The main difference is that practitioners of conventional transportation have more experience in this field. They work hard to lower operational costs while promoting good customer service. Not to mention deal with all those regulatory and union matters. No matter how much space supporters may admire their groundbreaking, liberal concept, the truth is if spaceports are going to become a successful business, then it must grapple with the mundane demands of earthly living and learn something from their earthbound counterparts.
Though, the idea of transporting cargo through space isn’t that farfetched. On one hand the commercial space endeavours — payloads, space tourism or industrialisation — will have satellites as the menu staple and may move further to explore other markets too. Whereas, on the other hand, even the fastest, most economical technology will find itself stuck on the ground if it doesn’t consider the total commercial picture and will hold no goods in lobbing cargo at supersonic speed if it’s just going to wind up sitting on a freight dock, waiting for a truck to pick it up. Regardless of whether the payload is a feather or a pair of tennis shoes, it has to move through the existing transportation infrastructure on its way to and from the spaceport. It’s a scenario that demonstrates both promise and pitfalls.
The challenges facing space development and commercialisation may not be different from those facing other transportation modes.
So, while the space community is busy looking for ways to lower payload costs and promote their novel plan, its members may want to take some time to consider what will happen once these goals are achieved. Establishing low-cost, reliable access to space is only half of the challenge. The other is ensuring that it fits with the reality of modern life.